Dr Diana Beech (1999-2001)
Policy Adviser for Higher Education
Dr Diana Beech is the Policy Adviser for Higher Education to Sam Gyimah, Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation.
Prior to her current position, Diana worked as Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) – a leading independent think tank on UK Higher Education policy. She has authored a wide range of HEPI reports on topics including the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), demand for higher education to 2030, widening access to higher education and university free speech policies.
Diana has also been a keen influencer of research policy at the European level, having been a founding member of the EURAXESS Voice of the Researchers (VoR) network, dedicated to delivering policy change for researchers. As part of the VoR, Diana successfully campaigned for the introduction of the pan-European RESAVER pension scheme and devised a toolkit adopted by the European Commission to enhance the open, transparent and merit-based recruitment of researchers across Europe.
Diana attended Hereford Sixth Form College (from Aylestone School) between 1999 and 2001 and took A-Levels in French, German, English Language and Literature and General Studies. She holds a BA (Hons) in German from Durham University, and an MPhil in Contemporary European Studies and a PhD in German, both from the University of Cambridge. Diana has also held post-doctoral appointments at the University of British Columbia and the Technical University of Berlin, as well as back at the University of Cambridge.